


Meet the Others

by Aweebwrites



Series: Big Cats Need Love Too [4]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Boys In Love, Cat/Human Hybrids, Does it count as pining if they're already together?, Hybrids, I'm Bad, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jay's too powerful for his own good, M/M, Mutual Pining, barely any plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-21 20:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30027648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aweebwrites/pseuds/Aweebwrites
Summary: What happens when Cole and Zane gets moved right next to Kai and his pride?Chaos.And maybe something more...
Relationships: Chamille/Tox (Ninjago), Cole/Zane (Ninjago), Kai/Jay Walker, Neuro/Griffin Turner
Series: Big Cats Need Love Too [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108568
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Meet the Others

It was safe to say it was easy to get used to the routine around their unwilling new home. Even Kai who hated every human that visited equally, was less and less riled up by them, only casting a low growl at them when they lingered for longer than a few seconds. What he hated most now, was just how buddy buddy they were with Jay, giving him a bit extra to his meals in exchange for pats, taking him out for walks should he and Nya be put to sleep for some reason or another and even giving him some kind of weird, round and soft rock they called a ball.

That one he minded less because for some reason, batting it around was really fun. It was something to do other than to lay around. There were still no escape opportunities but they were now used to the routines of this strange place. They received one large meal a day, enough to tide them over comfortably for their next feeding. They never ran out of water and the pond they had never got green and murky like ponds out on the savanna do.

They stopped receiving a lot of attention from the humans, which Kai was again glad for, since they were all healed up from the wildfire. Only Jay showed evidence of there ever being a fire to begin with, through the discolouration of the pads of his paws on his hind legs due to the extreme heat. They had said they'd never be black again like the pads on his pawed hands. Jay on the other hand was fine with that, just happy that there wasn't anything awful left over for them to deal with. Speaking of…

Kai licked at the fur at the back of Jay's neck lazily on yet another of several lazy days to come. They had their ball that was floating in their water puddle but that was for a later time. Right now, they were content like this. Well. Mostly.

"It's getting colder…" Nya mumbled from her place up on the highest jutting rock, curled up tightly.

It wasn't overly cold and it was definitely manageable, but it was something they were unused to. The savanna was hot all year around after all. There were cooler days like during the monsoon, but not like this. It did concern the group greatly, as not even Jay knew what to expect.

"Maybe it'll get warmer soon?" Jay murmured, looking up to where Nya laid- then turned over and batted at Kai's snout in annoyance once he bit and tugged at the fur on his nape.

"I'm not done, stay still." Kai rumbled low and Jay huffed but turned over again, letting Kai finish his grooming.

"Maybe…" Nya mumbled as she glanced out at the walkway where an occasional human walked by.

She noticed the second in a few minutes walk by. She wondered if the cold was the human's doing. Either way… She got up on all fours before hopping down from her usual spot, the sun no longer catching that area through the strange barrier all around. She then continued her project that was a burrow under the rocks. It wasn't in their nature to burrow, but Nya wanted to play it safe. It was getting colder and a cozy hole would keep them warm. Her paws however, weren't the best for digging so she only managed to make a slight depression in the ground.

"You won't be able to dig a proper hole without some kind of tool. Maybe try a rock or something?" Kai suggested as he moved onto Jay's ears, being careful of how he licked them, knowing certain ways will rile him up.

"Or you could help. I'm doing this for all of us you know." Nya huffed, glaring over at her brother.

"Paws like ours aren't meant for packed dirt like this." Jay mumbled, closing his eyes as Kai finished up grooming him. "Plus there's way too many big rocks in the ground. We won't get one big enough for all of us." He told her and she huffed, batting the dirt she managed to dig back in annoyance.

If only he told her that before. She walked away from that spot then circled them both before dropping down next to Kai, nuzzling into his warm mane. She never thought Kai's warmer body temperature would come in handy…

"Where should we set them up?" All of them looked towards the walkway they couldn't see once the voice came, noticing a small group of humans walking by.

"The only other outside den that's free right now is the one directly next to our lion pride. This spells a bad idea…" The black and white haired human spoke as purple, green and black hair followed him.

"I think we should give it a try." They all stopped at the gate and Kai gave a low growl in warning, tail flickering threateningly- but none of them were attempting to open their enclosure. "I mean, I'm starting to think Griffin has a sort of knack for this thing. It'll be good to expose them to other animals, make them socialize just a bit. Cole did already mate with Zane so I'm sure his possessiveness will be fractionally less. Plus, there's still a wall and unbreakable fencing between them. They might bitch at each other for a bit but who knows. Maybe they can at least tolerate each other enough to not get worked up when the other makes a sound." The person continued.

"Gotta agree with Cham there. Sounds like a solid plan. Plus, it wouldn't have to be for very long. We still need to bring the snake demi humans inside. It gets a bit too cold for them around this time, even with available exposure to the sun." Another spoke and someone sighed as the strange pride shared confused looks.

"Ok fine. We'll see how it goes for about a day, long enough so we can start our check to see if their enclosure is safe and comfortable for our new arrival and long enough to move the serpent demi humans." The second human spoke before they began moving again and they could spot their heads again through the high fencing on the other side of their enclosure. "At least this den already has a makeshift cave and a terrain that's familiar to them both…" He mumbled.

"Speaking of caves, should we give the pride one? I spotted our girl Nya-" She became more alert at the sound of her name. "- has been digging around for a bit." One of them suggests.

"Didn't Skylor say Bolobo confirmed they used to live in one? He has been observing them for a while now…" It was hard to tell who was saying what.

"Is that so… Well, it shouldn't be too hard to make them one. We'll have to temporarily take down the back of their fencing after moving them to an inside habitat but we'll have to wait before we can do that. Maybe after we release the Puffin Demis back up north in a week or so." The second human told the rest.

"Sounds good. When do you want them moved?" The first human asked.

"You can prep them now. It'll be best for you to do your observations before we start on the serpentine demis." The second human instructed and they watched as the group disbanded.

"Looks like we'll be getting a cave soon." Jay spoke up after a few minutes.

"But they'll need to take us all out to do it. Maybe we can escape then…" Kai thought, contemplative.

"I doubt it. They're gonna use those things to make us sleep to do that. We can't fight that yet. Plus, I doubt they'd let their guards down then." Nya told him with a huff, flicking her tail.

"These humans are smarter than I thought…" Kai rumbled with a tone of frustration.

"We just have to be patient." Jay reassured, tilting his head back to lick at his chin.

"I think we should be more worried about those neighbours we'll be having soon…" Nya murmured, glancing towards the empty holding next to theirs.

"What kind of animal do you think they'd be?" Jay asked, a bit of excitement in his tone.

He was too much of a social butterfly still.

"Ones we should stay away from." Kai says, dismissing his excitement. "You heard them yourself. They'll cause trouble. If they know better, they should count themselves lucky I can't get to them." He growled low and Jay rolled his eyes at his usual tough guy speel.

He was still curious to know what animals lived in a place like this…

_____

"If only these two were as domesticated as Jay." Tox huffed as she waited for the tranq to settle in.

As usual, Zane was the first to go down with Cole putting himself in front of him like the protectively possessive partner he was, already starting to struggle with holding up his head.

"Yeah, less scary." Shade huffed, tucking his hands into his pockets as he too watched.

"Less about scary, more about the possibility of Cole getting used to tranqs and us being unable to put him down." Tox clarified and Shade grimaced at that scary possibility. "He already has to get a dose higher than most just to keep him hazy and half asleep. It's riskier moving him that way but he seems fine as long as Zane is with him. That and I'd rather not give him enough tranquilizers to put down a small elephant, just to put him fully asleep." She shrugged.

"Does Karlof know that?" Shade asked, glancing to where the large male disappeared to get a loading table for them both.

"'Course. Had to talk it over with him first. He agreed to it." Tox told him, satisfied once Cole finally laid down, eyes half opened. "By the way, did Neuro give any hints on the newest rare to come?" She asked and Shade shook his head.

"Nothing. He's being tight lipped about it. But honestly, I don't blame him. Any demi human rarer than Zane is bound to attract trouble. Remember how poachers almost ran the truck carrying Zane off the road so they could get him, dead or alive?" Shade asked her.

"Yeah, no shit. Luckily Neuro had enough sense of mind to hire undercover police officials to trail them. And we thought he was being paranoid." Tox huffed. "I take it back, he can be as secretive as he likes if it means the new arrival actually arrives. And in one piece." She says, glancing down the hall once she spotted Karlof coming with the loading table.

"It's gonna be hell when those two inevitably clash." Shade huffed then glanced at Tox. "Why are we listening to Griffin's crummy idea again?" He asked her.

"Because he's an idiot who's surprisingly genius. We all wanna see if his genius will strike twice. I mean, think about it." Tox says, looking back at the two big cat demis in their holding. "Both Leopard and Jaguar, demi human or fully feral, aren't the social types. Even mated ones don't like too much of each other's company and only really seek each other out during mating periods. Save for cubs of course. They don't mate for life either. Cole and Zane? They're different. Chamille's study suggests they started leaning towards a more human way of settling down since the get go. They've created a dynamic between each other that neither of their kind actually have. It's pretty much marriage, but demi human style and not a lot of solitary demi humans actually manage to form a bond like that. It's cute really." She smirked, watching as Karlof loaded Zane on after loading Cole first.

Tox suggested he do so after considering that Cole may rile up if he felt as if they were taking Zane away.

"I'll let Neuro know their holding is clear so he can check it out." Shade spoke up after a while and Tox nodded, waving him off before leading the way to their new, possibly even more temporary than before holding.

It was starting to peak at how cold this place could get after all. It should be just about manageable for Zane who was used to much colder temperatures. He had about two, maybe three weeks tops out here before he had to go back inside though. Temperatures don't stay low for long here after all. As lush as most of the southern continent was, that wouldn't be possible without a certain amount of heat. The forests themselves not only generate a massive amount of rain, but warmth as well. Zane may never be a free ranged Leopard again. A lot of demi humans struggle with such a big change, even temporarily. But of course, as they were now getting accustomed to, Zane nor Cole, nor Kai, Jay and Nya, were ordinary big cats. The pride was still adjusting still, but Zane and Cole? They were perfectly content as long as they had each other.

She never thought she'd see the day. Cole was so riled up and intent on leaving for all the three weeks he had been with them before Zane's arrival. He was for a better word of it, whipped. Luckily for him, Zane was just as whipped. Those cameras in their habitat picked up a lot of sweet, sappy moments from the two. Just earlier, Cole pretended to be down, just to trick Zane into a cat's version of a kiss. The snow leopard demi human appeared to have lectured him for several minutes even as he kept giving him affectionate licks.

"Park 'em here." Tox instructed Karlof as they came up to the empty holding area, the green haired woman walking in to do a quick but thorough check.

During this time, feral snakes like to find a way into dens for extra warmth and food scraps. It wouldn't do for anyone to get bitten- or for Zane to try snake as a part of their meal. She gave Karlof the signal that the coast was clear before he wheeled them in, heaving them off the loading table to a decent spot on the ground.

"Karlof thinks, maybe Jaguar eats less, no?" The Russian suggested with a grunt as he carried Cole over to where Zane was then set him down next to him.

"No can do. He needs to keep that weight. It's in a good position for his size." Tox huffed, amused watching him go as he grumbled about demis that weighed the same as a small car.

She glanced up, finding Neuro, Chamille and Griffin arriving, most likely to see how they'll react to their neighbours from the start. She glanced back at the two, finding Cole's half opened eyes on her, probably not a fan of having Zane in front of him while she was there. She looked them over for a bit before she walked over, pulling a low growl from Cole and panicked warnings from her co-workers and friends but she didn't pay them any attention. Cole lifted his head, fangs on display as he rose a paw to strike her once she crouched- but she only took it, startling the demi human. She then lowered his paw on Zane's waist before nudging the not quite unconscious snow leopard closer to him, until Cole could rest his chin on his head without too much effort, his hold tightening around his mate.

Tox smiled at him.

"Don't worry, we'd never do anything to hurt you two or split you up." She murmured low, meeting Cole's gold eyes before she got up, not about to push her luck.

With that, she headed out, letting Karlof secure their habitat.

"That was reckless and risky-"

"But maybe it was needed…" Chamille whispered as she kept her eyes on the two. "I mean, we're all collectively scared of Cole for good reasons but none of us have actually tried making friends with him- or our lions. I doubt any of them will be as tame as Jay, but maybe they'd be easier to work with." She shrugged, looking at Neuro.

"Naturally we'll have to be careful but getting him- both of them- to be comfortable with at least one of us could be great. Especially since we'll be getting your newcomer soon. If they're gonna stay with them, we would be checking in pretty frequently for a while to see if they're holding up well and we all know Cole hates visitors. I can't keep putting him down for things. It just doesn't feel right and if Cole actually gets used to it then we're all fucked." Tox pointed out. "Maybe it should be Ash. He's the doc in the house, next to you yourself but you're already up to your neck with things to do." She dismissed him.

"Tell me about it." Griffin huffed, remembering the stacks of paperwork and preparation sheets he has on his desk that were literally neck high when seated.

"Not quite. Ash would be a sensible option for our Lion Pride but definitely not for Zane and Cole. We have to think about their compatibility for friendship. Ash is pretty sociable and snarky. No doubt he could get along with Jay who's somewhat like that, but Cole or Zane is a different story. Cole's a bit hot headed and would quickly but heads with him. Sure Cole has the capacity to be rather social to those he warms up to- but Ash would get on his nerves before he ever could. That's a theory still, since the only one he's warmed up to is Zane but you get the point." Chamille shrugged. "I think it should be you, Tox." She spoke, surprising her green haired girlfriend.

"Me? Why? I'm literally the one aiming a gun at them." Tox reminded her.

"Yeah but you're the first one to make a friendly move to Cole and already, he's more likely to get along with you. That and you guys are pretty similar in some ways. You'd get along with Zane too since while you're pretty outgoing so to speak, you're also stable enough to keep him good company." Chamille explained to her.

"I dunno… I still don't think they'd like me. Like I said, I'm the one always putting them out cold…" Tox warned, glancing into the den, noticing Zane slowly coming to, the tip of his spotted tail flicking back and forth lazily as Cole sluggishly groomed him.

"We won't know unless we try." Neuro shrugged, behind the idea. "You don't have to suddenly start visiting them every day or so, but I do urge you to see if you can get along with them. By the end of their stay in this den, our new arrival will be here and it would be greatly beneficial if at least one person can check in on him." He told her.

"Oh? So it's a he?" Tox grinned and Neuro huffed.

"Yes, it is a he. That's all you'll know until he gets here." He told her then glanced back at the two in the den.

How they get along with their new neighbors would also be a massive decider to see if they truly could care for the newcomer…

___

"Hate those stupid things…" Cole rumbled low, knowing they were being observed and not wanting them to know about their speech.

"I do too…" Zane whispered, voice still a bit slurred from the sleep thing they gave him.

"Relax. 't'll wear off soon." Cole reassured him, nuzzling into his white hair and inhaling his cool scent.

Though, he was curious- and worried- about why they were outside. Last time Zane was out here, he almost overheated. But… At the same time… Out here felt cooler than he last remembered. It came to him then. It must be the cold season. When the white, cold stuff on the mountains would creep low and the whole forest would be much colder than it usually was. So then, could Zane manage these temperatures? He pulled back a bit so he could look him over, seeing no distress or sweat on his face, nor was he picking up any in his scent. He was just curious and still disoriented. That made Cole relax some, brushing the back of his pawed hand against his beautiful mate's cheek, smiling a bit as he purred softly, closing his gorgeous blue eyes as he did.

One less thing to worry about. But he knew the cold season wouldn't last forever and was very short, so that must mean they plan on only having them out here for a little while. So scent marking the area would be a waste of energy. What the green haired human told him came back to him again and he stroked Zane's face distractedly. Why should he believe her? She was the one that always made them sleep. She was lucky he didn't just rip her arm off. But… He hadn't the energy to pull Zane into a protective embrace as he had wanted to do… She helped him do that. She said they wouldn't separate them, never let them get hurt. He sneered, denying that. The sleeping things did… He paused. They… They didn't really hurt to be honest. They were more like an itch than anything else… He frowned. Why was he even thinking about this? The humans shouldn't be trusted… Especially not her...

The back of his pawed hand hesitated against Zane's cheek and the snow leopard opened his eyes, watching his conflicted mate curiously. What was so serious he had on his mind?... He was still pretty hazy, lacking energy and resistance to the sleep thing unlike Cole, but he mustered as much energy as he could to reach up and cup his cheek, expression filled with concern as his mate focused on him. His eyes were asking what was wrong, letting him know at the same time that he could tell him anything. Cole glanced over him, looking to where the humans were still watching them before looking back at Zane. He then nuzzled his forehead then gave it a lick, a promise to tell him later.

With that, Cole pushed himself up to all fours, refusing to stumble before them, then lowering his head and rumbling low, letting Zane know he would be looking around. Zane only licked at his nose before letting him go, watching as he explored their new environment.

On the other side of mostly fenced walls, Nya and Kai were prowling in circles, picking up the unfamiliar scents of their new neighbours and on the alert for any attempts at an attack. While they were sure they couldn't get to them, they weren't about to be intimidated by anyone. Jay on the other hand was pacing, but with excitement. As the more sociable of the two, he was wondering if they were some species they've never seen before, wondering what they looked like, what they liked to eat, where they came from. But he knew it was best to wait until the humans were gone. He couldn't go talking while they were around. But they showed no signs of wanting to leave. He gave an impatient sound then huffed as he sat, tail flicking impatiently. For once he wanted the humans to just go already.

"Don't get any ideas Jay. Those guys could be dangerous." Kai warned, prowling his way over and nuzzling him in passing.

"We don't know that for sure." Jay reminded, both of them keeping their voices low.

"If the humans are afraid of them then it definitely makes them a threat." Nya countered.

"No way. The humans are afraid of Kai and he isn't a threat." Jay huffed, getting to all fours then two's as he attempted to see over the short wall between their two areas, through the fencing right above it.

"That doesn't prove anything." Kai dismissed, pulling him down again so he wouldn't be seen, but Jay caught sight of a spotted tail.

Were they a Cheetah too? He'd keep that to himself for now.

"Oh come on. If we're gonna be stuck here, we might as well make some new friends you know." The Cheetah demi human reasoned.

"I don't think so." Nya growled low- then glanced up once the purple haired human walked over to their area, moving some kind of stick on something in her hand as she watched them. "The humans aren't helping…" She rumbled low, pacing for a moment before heading over to their permanent water hole for a drink.

Kai only nudged Jay, urging him away from the border between them and the Cheetah reluctantly went, visibly put off, spitting a displeased hiss at Kai as he went to the far end of their enclosure, laying down with an irritable huff. Kai looked at his upset mate for a moment longer. He was doing this for his protection. He'll make it up to him later. With that, he returned to prowling with Nya. He'd be damned if whoever they were tried to dominate them. He's fought whole feral lions that were bigger than himself and won. They should count themselves lucky they had the walls between them to protect them. He gave a low growl at the thought of it-

A sound Cole heard clearly. He bared his fangs, ears twitching towards the other side of the wall, realising that they weren't in a private area anymore. He gave a low growl, uncertain if whoever the hell they were could get through, especially while Zane wasn't fully recovered, said mate pushing himself up at his threatening growl. He flattened his ears once a louder growl came back, body going taunt, ready to attack and maul to protect his mate, to protect their space. He growled even louder than they did, glancing back at Zane and urging him to get back with a movement of his head.

The snow leopard did so, though stumbling as he went, keeping his body low to the ground before hiding himself into the cave there and waiting for the effects to finally wear off. If there was a threat, he wanted to defend too, but he knew he'd only get in the way like this. Zane remained still and quiet, listening as their growls turned to all our roars, a second roar following. He gave a low, mewling hiss. He didn't like this. There were two of them and only one of Cole. That was an unfair match. He hoped the humans' walls held, at least until his limbs didn't feel like water and his vision wasn't hazy around the edges… Cole on the other hand was prepared to fight whoever the hell was on the other side of this blockage, no matter how many of them were there. He did not take being threatened lightly, worse with his mate not quite himself. He wasn't afraid of any of them and he pounced on the wall to show it, his size allowing him to see over the wall through the fencing- and to see the two roaring up at him threateningly, the one with the weird spiky fur around their head pouncing up on the wall too, but he wasn't large enough for them to meet face to face. In fact, Cole appeared to be a whole head and then some taller than the strange creatures. He would have laughed if he wasn't so riled up. Who the hell did these runts think they are, trying to threaten him?

"... So this was a bad idea." Griffin spoke after a solid 15 minutes of the two aggressive males and the lioness Nya being at each other's necks.

"Yeah. Yeah it was." Neuro had to agree, glancing at the timer he had running to see how long they'd keep this up.

"So what do we do now boss?" Tox asked, glancing towards Neuro.

"There's nothing to do about it for now. I want to avoid tranqs on Cole and Zane for a few days at least. If they're still at it tomorrow, then we'll have to temporarily move our lion pride to an inside habitat. It'll be a bit earlier than planned but if it comes to it, so be it. While aggression is natural for them, too much of it can negatively affect them." Neuro told the team, even as Ash and Gravis joined, curious at the commotion.

"At this rate, they're both gonna end up losing their voices." Ash huffed, crossing his arms.

"Maybe. But maybe Jay will shut Kai up. He seems to be the smartest of the lot. He knew to keep Kai quiet when they first got here while he was recovering from the smoke inhalation. By the time signs of vocal straining come into play, I expect him to interfere. Well. I expect him to attempt it at least. We all know how Kai is when he gets riled up." Chamille spoke dryly as she jotted down a few quick notes.

"Who do you think'll back down first?" Gravis asked the group.

"Neither of them." Griffin half joked.

"He's right." Chamille nodded, closing her pen inside her notebook. "Neither of them will actually stop on their own. Nya will eventually grow tired and back off in a few but for Kai and Cole? It's up to Jay and Zane to pull them away. I've observed them both long enough to know that they're both a little competitive and a lot too bold and rash to back down from a challenge." She sighed then stretched high.

"This will take a while, you guys better go tend to our other demis. I'll keep you posted." Chamille told them, waving them off with her notebook.

"Right. Tox, stay with Chamille unless you're needed elsewhere. The more they get used to seeing you outside of them needing to be put to sleep, the better." Neuro told her as he handed her the timer and the green haired woman nodded.

"How about we catch an early lunch Oreo?" Griffin grinned as they turned away, heading to their respective areas.

"I told you not to call me that." Neuro huffed, glancing away as his cheeks coloured lightly.

"You said not to call you that in front of the others. They're behind us so it doesn't count." Griffin grinned and Neuro's face went dark red with embarrassment as the others began snickering.

"Shut up. The marine demi human section needs cleaning." Neuro huffed, walking ahead of him.

"Aw man…"

"Well, looks like it's just me and you dollface." Tox grinned, nudging Chamille who huffed but poked at her with her pen.

"Remember, you have to actually observe them too now. Get to know them from afar before getting in close." Chamille advised her.

"Yeah, yeah I got it. Don't worry." Tox grinned as she glanced at the timer that was now hitting 18 minutes.

Let's see how long they'll keep this up….

_____

Jay boredly ran a claw up a lush green grass blade, listening to the pissing match between his mate and the other creature. He didn’t even know how long Kai had been roaring back and forth with that other male. He thought at first, he was a Cheetah too but after sneaking a closer look, he definitely wasn't. His spots are different and he could roar. Cheetahs can't roar. Plus, he was clearly a lot bigger than any Cheetah should be. The reality was that he was waiting for one of them to get tired and end the match, then when Kai and Nya were asleep, he’d get an even closer look. Maybe he could see if he could communicate too. Nya had already thrown in the towel, realising that the other creature could roar all they’d like but they couldn’t get in their area and if they couldn’t get in their area then they couldn’t actually push a fight. She was refreshing herself at the water hole, not even batting an ear in their direction.

Well, that is until a new sound from the other side came. Jay lifted his head at the low, spitting hiss then got to his feet once a new creature hopped up, not as big as the first but tall enough for his face to be seen. There was a moment of silence, from even Kai as they all just stared at the creature, at how very different he was. They’ve seen different creatures before naturally, but this one was so… Different. Where they and even the other male next to him had browns, golds and blacks, he was mostly whites with black spots. His eyes were a blue they’ve never seen before. He was…- He gave a threatening hiss at Kai, and Kai, snapping out of it roared at him- which for some reason, really pissed off the other male who began all out snarling, swiping thick claws against the mesh between them. He was uh…

Actually even scarier than before, more than Kai, like that. But why… Jay looked between the two males on the other side of the fencing, as they both took Kai, and Nya who too returned to defend her brother. He blinked, realising the non-Cheetah nudged the white furred male back once Kai swiped his claws at him through the fencing- then somehow got even more aggressive. It hit him like a rock dropped on his head by idle Savanna Baboons. They were mates! And the dominant one, he’s assuming is the bigger of the two, thinks of them as a threat! Jay looked to his mate and his sister before frowning, flicking his tail. Looks like he has to be the voice of reason.

“I’m surprised they haven’t gone hoarse yet and I’m getting concerned if that fence can hold Cole back. We can’t have them doing this for any longer. It’s been almost two hours.” Tox sighed, looking down at her timer.

Really, she wanted to grab a bite but she was genuinely worried they would wreck their vocal chords- or Cole would successfully break through the reinforced fencing.

“I was thinking the same thing.” Chamille agreed from where she was observing from the lion’s side then smirked. “But I think we’ll be getting some inside help.” She hummed, gesturing for her to come over and Tox does, confused.

She was surprised however, when Jay bounded over and hissed at his partner to gain his attention- then stood on his hind legs and began physically pushing both he and Nya back. Kai of course roared his protest- to which Jay responded with a very angry hiss. Chamille jotted that down, never even knowing Jay had the capacity to get angry. It was enough to let Jay successfully nudge them away from the fencing, Nya going more easily, but she only took her favorite perch on the rocks and kept her eyes on Cole and Zane who were still there. Cole had finally stopped roaring and had actually walked away- but only to check on Zane it seemed.

“Blissful silence.” Tox sighed and Chamille laughed but agreed. “Do you think they’ll be fine long enough for us to grab lunch?” She asked and Chamille thought on it, watching Jay scolding Kai, the latter giving protesting growls but was quickly quietened by a clawed paw smacking him.

“Yeah. They’re all still tense though so nothing too big should happen while we’re out.” Chamille told her, setting her notebook down on the stool she brought with her for observations.

“Sweet. Let’s go then.” Tox grinned.

Jay glanced up then, spotting the humans that have been watching the entire time leave. Good.

“What the hell was that?! That asshole-”

“Was trying to protect his mate!” Jay hissed, cutting Kai off. “You probably didn’t realise it but you took a couple swipes at him and that pissed him off.” He huffed, crossing his arms and thumping his tail against the ground.

“But-”

“But nothing!” Jay cut him off. “You can’t go starting fights with every creature other than us! If you do that, you’ll become a problem and while the humans have been nice so far, no-one likes problems. They could get rid of you in the bad sense you idiot.” He smacked his pawed hand against his mate’s forehead to emphasize his point.

“... I’m starting not to like when you’re right.” Nya mumbled from the top of her rock, able to spot the large male checking over the white furred one thoroughly.

So they  _ were _ mates.

“I think we gotta trust Jay on this too. No starting any fights.” She spoke, glancing down at her brother and his partner again.

“But-”

“None!” Jay hissed then stood up, smacking him in the face with his tail. “Now you stay there while I see if they’re ok.” He told him.

“What?!”

“That’s too much!” Both lions immediately protested.

“Just trust me. Plus, if they could have gotten through the fence, they would have already.” Jay told them as he walked forward, looking up at the wall that was taller than him.

He glanced around- then perked up, realising that the rocky rising Nya liked to perch on started close by and climbed up on the lower level, grasping the fence to peer in. There, the two seemed to be quietly bickering back and forth, no doubt about something similar to what he and Kai had discussed. He paused, thinking about the best approach before taking a quiet breath.

“Uh, hey.” He called and their eyes snapped onto him, the larger male revealing a thick fang as he sneered, growls pouring out of him. “I’m not here to challenge you or try to hurt you guys, promise!” Jay was quick to say, holding both pawed hands up in his defense then glancing back, glad to find Nya next to Kai, preventing him from intervening with a pawed hand on his shoulder.

He still found the strange creature very intimidating in a frightening sense after all.

“... You can talk.” Jay blinked once the white furred male spoke then grinned widely.

“Yeah! And so can you! That’s great!” He beamed. “Look, I wanna apologize about my dumb mate and his sister. They’re both too aggressive for their own good.” He told them and the white furred male assessed him carefully while his mate glared him down still, making it clear if he so much as twitched wrong he’d eviscerate him.

“... And what if they try to attack us again?” The white furred male with really, really pretty eyes countered.

“I’ll keep them in check. We’re not used to others is all. Our pride’s small and anyone outside of it is usually out to either kill us or take our territory. We’re still adjusting to this place.” Jay explained sheepishly.

“Doesn’t smell like your territory.” The large male countered this time, surprising Jay- but in a good way.

That meant they could actually reason with him. Not every demi human could speak after all which made things difficult more times than not. He does note however, that he seemed a bit less used to speaking than his mate. They both seemed unused to it but not too badly.

“It isn’t our territory. My very dumb mate-”

“Hey!”

“Assumed that you would try to take over ours on this side- which isn’t possible and he’s just too angry for his own good.” Jay continued, ignoring Kai’s outburst.

They glanced at each other for a bit then back at him. Jay shifted, both of their gazes intense.

“So!” Jay cleared his throat. “My name’s Jay, my mate’s name is Kai and his sister’s name is Nya and we won’t go picking fights any more, ever.” He introduced and the odd pair looked at each other again.

“Zane.” The white furred male spoke up.

“Cole.” The larger male gruffed, deciding to be civil since he was the only one that hadn’t tried attacking them.

“Cool! Nice to meet you guys!” Jay grinned, tail flickering eagerly. “Uh, you’ve probably seen this coming but- what are you, Zane?” He asked curiously and Zane blinked.

“... Leopard.” He told him. “Snow Leopard.” He added, remembering that’s what the humans kept calling him specifically.

“Snow?” Jay tilted his head to the side curiously and Zane nodded.

A beat passed before Zane realised that he didn’t seem to know what snow is.

“... It’s like rain…. But cold. And white.” He attempted to explain and Jay was still lost, but was marveled.

Cole paused, considering the description and why it seemed familiar. He then blinked.

“... That stuff… On the mountain?” He questioned his mate and Zane blinked at him.

“Yes, it was on a mountain… But it doesn’t have to be.” He told him, recalling snow on the plains too.

“I’ve never seen that stuff on a mountain before.” Jay frowned, recalling his travels as a cub. “Where we’re from, it’s always hot and barely rains.” He told them and they were both intrigued.

“It rains every day here.” Cole told him, unknowingly relaxing from his tense position the more the conversation carried on.

“Yeah, I can see.” Jay laughed, looking up at the clear glass overhead that kept them dry from the rain currently falling now. “So you’re from here?” He asked and Cole nodded, stroking Zane’s tail that was flicking in his lap.

“But not… In here. Out there.” Cole gestured to the trees able to be seen from the high fencing to his left.

Zane looked out there for the first time since he’s been to this place, seeing vivid green trees, even through the downpour… Then frowned, looking at his pawed hands as he flexed his claws.

“... Do you miss it?” He asked quietly, looking up at Cole who blinked then sighed through his nose.

“A little. Out there is bad, even for me. The ferals… They will eat us too if they can. But the mountain is fun. Cold, but fun.” Cole shrugged. “I’d rather be here, with you anyway.” He added lightly and Zane blinked then smiled to himself, fiddling with his claws.

“I don’t miss home. The humans there like to kill us. For our fur or for taking their animals. Females are annoying too. I like it here, with you.” Zane shrugged and Cole felt his chest squeeze in a way he was unfamiliar with, but it also came with the urge to embrace his mate- so he did, pulling him into his arms and rumbling low as he licked at his face, Zane purring as he did.

Jay awed quietly at the two, his smile wide. He was happy they were happy in a place like this. But they made him think. If he had the opportunity to go home, would he? Surely their standing with the humans is still uncertain, but the guaranteed meals and never running out of water was amazing. His only complaint is the lack of space to roam, to run. But other than that… This place is pretty nice. He’d keep that to himself though. If Nya and Kai knew he thought that, they’d think the humans brainwashed him. Jay’s ears perked up, hearing the sound of footsteps and quietly clattering metal. Meal time.

“The humans are coming but we can talk more when they’re gone again.” Jay told them before ducking down without checking to see if they even heard, padding over to Kai on all fours and letting him scent mark him to his heart’s content. 

Those two were really fun to talk with. That might be because he was too used to talking with Kai and Nya but… He purred, licking back at Kai’s chin. He hoped they could be friends…

_____

“If you keep spoiling him like that, he’ll get fat.” Tox warned as they came back from lunch in time to see Shade give Jay an extra lamb leg after a few moments of petting him.

"He'll be fine." Shade dismissed as he locked up the outer door to their habitat, both neighbouring cats now fed and eating. "Jay messes around with that ball so much, he might as well eat a bit more." He told her as he watched the group come together to eat, Jay tearing the muscle off of the leg given to him eagerly.

"He's got a point." Chamille hummed, twirling her pen as she picked up her notebook. "Jay's pretty energetic, even for a Cheetah. Maybe we should look into getting him more toys…" She hummed in thought.

"Neuro's still planning on adding that free range section of the facility for demis like he and his pride who are used to roaming a large space. Jay's tame enough to trust him to run around once it's done. But by then, it'll be pretty deep in the year so a couple more harmless stuff should be fine." Tox shrugged. "Maybe even toss these two one to see how they'll interpret it." She suggested as she walked over to where Cole and Zane were sharing their meal.

Zane was fed mutton, as he was used to eating mountain goats and sheep kept by the inhabitants of the lower Himalayas and Cole was fed deer, but they seemed to be trying each other's meal at the moment. Naturally, Cole seemed to enjoy mutton as much as he does deer while Zane seemed contemplative at the new taste. Judging by the fact that he went for more, it seems he liked deer too.

"Not a bad idea. There should be an old basketball laying somewhere around here. I'll let Griffin clean and pump it up later." Chamille nodded then sat on her stool to get comfortable.

She has a long day of observing in front of her.

__

Jay stretched lavishly, stomach pleasantly full as his mate and sister idly gnawed at the bone left from their meal. He glanced over to where the humans were still watching them, though a lot less than their new neighbours. He was curious about all the attention, but figured he wouldn't get to know the reason behind it. For now, he wanted to visit them again. He was too caught up in his meal to see if they are differently than he did- and he didn't get to ask what Cole was either. He'd have to wait to actually ask but… He got to his feet and walked over to the wall and fencing, hopping up on the rising before balancing on his back legs to peer in.

He gave a mewl to gain their attention as they idly groomed each other and they both glanced over at him. Zane got to his feet and Cole followed, laying against the wall lazily as Zane got up on his hind legs, giving his own mew of hello. Naturally, the humans watching them were floored, wondering just when the heck did they become… Friends?! A glance into the lion's den revealed that Kai wasn't happy about it and Nya was wary, but neither of them moved to stop him. Watching the social Cheetah butt the fencing in a friendly manner and having Zane return it while Cole watched them, unbothered… They decided that Jay was too powerful for his own good.

"Hey Cole. What are you?" Jay asked the moment the humans left, figuring they'd be back soon.

"Jaguar." Cole responded around a yawn, feeling a nap coming on.

"Cool! I thought you were a Cheetah too but your spots are different and you're bigger and you can roar. I can't roar." Jay rambled a bit, tail flicking back and forth.

"I can't roar either." Zane told him, now a bit curious about it. Why can Cole and Jay's mate roar but they can't?

"Yeah!" Jay beamed, glad to no longer be the only one that couldn't do it.

"Be glad." Cole murmured as he rested his head on his paws. "Roaring is rough on your throat." He told them, his own throat feeling a bit sore from earlier.

"It hurts?" Zane asked, worried now as he dropped down to all fours, nudging Cole's head until he could nuzzle his throat gently.

"A little." Cole murmured then pulled him down, draping an arm around his waist then nuzzling his hair, settling down properly for a nap.

He then gave a big yawn Jay soon reciprocated before rubbing at his eyes. Yeah, he could use a nap too.

"I'll be back in a bit." He told the two around another yawn and Zane only made a sound of acknowledgement, joining the yawn fest.

With that, he dropped down on all fours then walked back over to where Kai was laying, dropping himself down heavily before him and nuzzling into his fur, humming as he pulled him close. The sound of the rain hitting the clear roofing overhead created the perfect aura of sleep that had Jay drifting off in moments.

____

"What did I tell yah?" Griffin grinned once Chamille and Tox reported to Neuro.

"Calm down there Mr.Ego-tastic. Let's not forget that while they get along with Jay, they don't with Kai and Nya." Tox reminded the taller male, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Not yet at least." Neuro hummed, looking over Chamille's notes. "I doubt Jay would let them feud for long. After all, the first thing he does when he's found a good thing, is show his pride." He reminded them and Griffin only looked even more smug.

"This was more than I expected though. I was hoping they- more specifically Cole- would grow to tolerate others, but it sounds like they're becoming fast friends. If that's the case, we might need to start a new project." Neuro continued, tapping his chin, before picking up a large, heavily bookmarked book from the stacks of paperwork and books that filled his table.

"Another project? Do we even have the funding for another?" There's already the expansion of the facility, the free range area, the remodeling of almost all habitats…" Chamille began listing off.

"We have just enough for this. It'll fall under the remodeling process. They're creating bonds I'm not willing to tear apart because of their climatic needs. This is good for all of them, more so for Zane who's lived in complete isolation the entire time he was being studied. Even if they never do get along with Nya and Kai, I'd like to have Jay be able to visit from time to time…" Neuro told them, jotting down a few points in said book.

"... But how? Even current temperatures are a bit too cold for them and this is the bare maximum warmth Zane can comfortably exist in." Chamille asked with a frown.

"All it'll take is a lot of ingenuity." Neuro smirked.

_________

"Kai."

"No."

"Kai come on."

"I said no."

"You can't just pretend they don't exist, you know." Jay huffed, crossing his arms, looking at his mate unimpressed.

"Watch me." Kai huffed as if he was given a challenge.

"Kai…" Jay's tone was filled with frustration now.

"Absolutely not. I'm not gonna become all buddy buddy with that guy! No way in ever!" Kai huffed, turning away from his mate, sneering at the thought.

Did he forget what happened just yesterday?! They guy was dangerous! He knew he couldn't stop Jay from talking to them, didn't own him and didn't want to own him like that… But he didn't trust the guy still and he wasn't about to let his guard down with him.

Jay gave an exasperated sigh, loving his mate, but hating his stubbornness. He and Nya both shared that in common since neither of them wanted to be the bigger Lion and just say sorry. The whole thing was a big mix up but no-one wanted to say anything about it. He didn’t want to ask Cole or Zane to say sorry because the reality was that they weren’t the ones wrong here. Cole was just protecting his mate and Zane was just trying to defend him. He looked at them both disappointedly.

“No wonder it’s called a Lion  _ Pride _ .” Jay huffed, walking away from the two, towards the wall.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Kai yelled, able to since it was night and the humans had left.

Jay hadn’t graced him with an answer, hopping up to the rising next to the wall then curling up there. Cole and Zane had retired to their cave a while ago so there wasn’t much for him to do now but sleep, pointedly ignoring Kai’s ranting to Nya.

“What the heck does he even mean by  _ that _ ?” Kai sneered, pacing back and forth in front of his sister as she watched Jay in silence.

She didn’t think she needed to apologise, since she didn’t do anything wrong… But then again, she wasn’t any help to the situation either. The Jaguar, as she overheard, was doing what any of them would have done if their roles were reversed… She did unwillingly find the Jaguar… Cole, intimidating in the face of his rage… But so far, he seemed pretty docile when he wasn’t threatened and Jay really seemed to like them as friends. Thinking about it now, Jay only had her to talk to as a friend. As his mate, Kai didn't count. She frowned. Maybe Jay was right. Maybe they were being too prideful…

"Kai." Nya spoke, cutting her brother off mid rant. "Maybe Jay's right. I mean, when isn't he usually." She told him and Kai sneered at that.

"No way! I-"

"Jay's your mate you know. You should be considering his feelings here." Nya reminded him, cutting him off again. "He never asked us to get along with them, only to apologise. This whole thing started off as a misunderstanding. Clearly we shouldn't take the humans' words too seriously when it comes on to others like us. If we hadn't, who knows. We could have all been friends by now. Isolating ourselves here won't do us any good, and you know Jay's the most social of us all. If our grudge is putting a strain on him and his relationship with those two, then as his friend and his mate, we have to at least try to lessen the strain." She told her brother as he frowned.

She had a point. They were all Jay had here. On the Savanna, he was rather social, to both demis like them and ferals. He wasn't lucky enough to find more than two demi human that could actually speak and they were very wary of them since they were of prey species; of Zebra and Gazelle kind. But he did enjoy the company of those who'd let him close enough since they didn't spend every day or night in their home cave. Here, he was cut off from anyone else and had taken to humans to fill the space some, but for all his being docile around them, he didn't trust them still to call any friend. Kai glanced over at Jay who had actually drifted off on the other side of the enclosure, far from them then frowned as he sat.

He had told Jay on many occasions that he would do anything for him… Kai pressed his ears flat as he glanced away, sneering. It looked like it was time he kept that promise.

_____

Jay came to a few short hours later, feeling warmer than how he fell asleep. He blinked his eyes open sluggishly, confused- but then he spotted Kai's unmistakably spiky mane before him and Nya's dark hair. He blinked at them both for a moment before he gave a quiet huff, still upset with them. Though he had to admit, the warmth was nice. He glanced up, noticing that it was night still, before closing his eyes again, content to simply rest like this for now. It was hard to tell how long he's been resting like that, but then he heard movement on the other side of the wall that suggested either or both Cole and Zane were awake. He had intended to leave their pile to say hello, but froze once Kai lifted himself onto his feet. What was he planning?

Kai on the other hand, couldn't find the means to sleep when all he could think about was how much of a jerk he was to Jay. He was right. His pride blinded him more often than he'd like to admit, so he'd make things right. Kai turned to the wall then, getting up on his hind legs so he could see who was out and about on the other side. No surprise that it was Cole, scouting the area as his mate, Zane came out as well, glancing towards him- then froze at the sight of him. Not a second later before Cole too spotted him and growled low in warning, walking before his mate, the look in his reflective eyes making it clear he'd mawl him the second he tried something. Kai sighed then.

"Look, I'm not here to fight with you." He began.

"Excuse me if I'm not the most trusting." Cole shot back with narrowed eyes, his time talking with Jay who actually spoke more than they did having him relearning speech and several words he had thought he forgot.

"Ok that's fair." Kai had to admit then shifted uncomfortably. "I just wanted to say…" It felt like breaking teeth to simply say the words, Cole watching him with trepidation and his uttermost defense.

"I'm sorry alright?" Kai finally got out and Cole lifted a brow. "I didn't mean to make you feel threatened or to swipe at your mate or anything. The humans mentioned you were dangerous and I wanted to protect my pride." He winced at the double play of words there.

"They did now…?" Cole hummed to himself, satisfied that they did find him dangerous.

"You guys are already pretty important to Jay and I don't want to drive his only friends in this place besides my sister away. So you don't have to worry about us attacking you- unless you attack us first." Kai clarified, still down to kick his ass if he tried something.

"What's the point of wasting my time attacking a pair of runts?" Cole drawled and both Kai and Nya, who had just joined their conversation to say her piece, were offended.

"Who are you calling a runt?" Nya beat Kai to the question. "Look, we're trying to be the bigger Lions here for Jay's sake and you're making this more difficult than it has to be." She pointed out and Zane decided it was time to step in then.

"They're right, Cole. Try not to be so hard on them." He told his mate as he walked around from behind him, nuzzling his side.

"Hard not to. I couldn't give a damn about them attacking me, but Mr Spiky head over there decided to go after you. All bets are off when anyone decides to go for my Zane." Cole told them, possessively and protectively pulling Zane to his side.

"But they're doing this for Jay. And I like Jay. And so do you. So for his sake, why don't we call a truce? Start fresh?" Zane countered, preening under the attention however.

He then looked to the two Lions.

"I'm Zane." He introduced himself.

"Nya. Nice to meet you." Nya responded in kind, down for pretending this mess didn't happen.

"... Cole." Said Jaguar gruffed, unwilling to forget but willing to give them the chance for Zane and Jay's sake.

"... Kai." The Lion male nodded once, reminding himself that this was for Jay.

Jay on the other hand grinned to himself, pretending he was sleeping still. He was glad they finally decided to do the right thing. His grin softened into a smile. Here's to a new, tentative friendship…

**Author's Note:**

> I got dragged into 2 whole ass weeks of hyperfixation when I finally decided to cave and play a dumb mmorpg game with my brother. I just resurfaced then wrote like the wind to get something out, thus the lack of any real plot here. I'll make the next part to this better. Promise. As always sorry if there's any mistakes, I am quite blind to these things and thanks for taking the time to read this! 💙


End file.
